Love Kills
by bradleigh
Summary: Scott, Alex, and Rogue get kidnapped by the BoM, and they know why. So what do they do? ScottJean. Mildtorture. Complete.
1. Missing

**Author's Note:** This story is my first X-men evo. fanfic, so please review and enjoy my crappy writing skills. This story is told from Scott's POV. It's set after the cartoon, because Scott and Jean are together, Alex lives at the Institute, and Magneto, Sabretooth, and Mystique are back. I hope to update often. Rated for slight language and violence. Please review and flames are welcomed, because I'm a pyromaniac.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any evolution characters or any of the situations they are placed in. My story is mine, so ask before you take.

Without any further ado, "**Love Kills**"...

* * *

**Chapter 1: Missing**

I walked into the meeting room and slid into a seat. Jean smiled and took the seat next to me. She grabbed an apple from the table and took a bite. I just watched her.

"Scott?" Jean asked me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Jean," I replied. "It's nothing to worry about." She gave me that look that says I-know-you're-lying. I smiled. "It's just Alex. He got really mad at me this afternoon."

Jean smiled, "Those Summer boys tend to be a bit hotheaded at times. You just have to let them cool off."

I glared at her through my red sunglasses, "You think you know me? You have no idea what I'm like, especially around Alex- " I stopped when I saw the hurt look on her face. "Jean, I'm sorry. It's just-"

She smiled, "I know, Scott. Alex will come around."

Logan grabbed a microphone at the front of the room. "All right, kids," he said to the twenty or so mutants in the room with us. "The lights go out in ten minutes, so get to bed."

I placed a kiss on Jean's forehead. "Goodnight, Jean. I'm going to ask Logan about Alex."

"Goodnight, Scott," Jean whispered, lacing her fingers into mine. "I love you and so does Alex." We stood up and went our separate ways, letting our fingers fall out. She headed to her room, while I went to Logan.

I didn't really want to talk to Logan, but I was worried about Alex. "Logan, have you see Alex lately?"

Logan looked at me irritated, "No."

I nodded and walked away. That didn't work as well as I'd hoped. Where could he be? I walked to my room and got ready for bed. Alex could take care of himself...

I awoke with a start. Alex was in trouble. Somehow I knew that he was being attacked.

I hopped to my feet and put on my jacket. Then I rushed out on my balcony. Barely thinking, I jumped off it and hit the ground a story below. No sooner, I broke into a sprint toward the lake at the edge of the grounds. I noticed the security system was down.

When I got to the lake, the only person I saw was Lance. He seemed to be distracted, so I crept closer.

"Hey, Summers," he called with his back still to me. "We weren't expecting you until you learned that we've kidnapped your brother."

My anger rose, but I didn't move. Lance turned to me and gave a little laugh, "Sunglasses at night?"

"Would you prefer that I take them off?" I asked.

Lance turned dead serious, "If you give off any fireworks, your brother is dead, understood?"

I swallowed roughly at the thought of Alex with these guys. He was in some major trouble.

"Scott?" he asked.

"Who's 'we'?" I questioned, referring to his first comment.

Suddenly I felt a burst of wind behind me. I tried to turn around but was stopped. Pietro had me pinned in place. I struggled, but he had my arms twisted up behind me. I jerked forward only to receive a sharp pain.

Lance strolled up to me. "You think you're hot stuff, don't you, Summers? You're going out with Jean and have a little brother." Lance threw a punch that caught me right in the jaw. My head snapped to the side.

I looked up to him, "If you hurt him in any way, I swear I'll kill you."

Lance smiled and threw another punch. This one hit me in the nose. Blood poured out, but Lance just laughed and hit me in the temple. The pain was practically unbearable.

"Careful," I warned bearing the pain, "or you might break my shades."

Lance punched me in the stomach. The air left my lungs and I bent over as much as Pietro allowed. "Then your brother would be dead," Lance explained. "Now, let's go."

They led me to the front gate. As we left, I looked up at a camera. It wasn't revolving like it was supposed to be. Pietro gave a rough jerk on my left arm. Pain exploded in my shoulder. Lance laughed and we approached a car, a black limo.

"Toad," Lance called. Todd hopped out of the car. "Get the boy out here."

"Please," I begged. "Please, leave him alone. I'm not that dumb." I hated groveling to Lance, but I knew that was what he wanted. "Please, don't hurt him."

"Well..." Lance started. "I think it would be a lot of fun to make you watch us beat up your brother..."

"Lance, please," I pleaded. Pietro laughed.

"Well, all right," Lance replied. "I won't hurt him if you cooperate with us, deal?"

I nodded. Pietro shoved me into the trunk of the car. I grimaced as the air rushed out of me again. They shoved me into the back of the car and shut the door.

"Scott?" came Alex's weak voice.

I spun around. Alex lay on the floor, horribly injured and barely conscious. My anger level rose.

"I'm right here, Alex," I told him. "It'll all be okay." I lifted him up and set him on one of the seats.

"Scott?"

"Yeah?" I sat down by his head.

Alex put his head on my leg. "I- I'm sorry." Then he blacked out. I looked down at my little brother as my anger boiled closer and closer to breaking point.

Suddenly the door opened. Lance, Todd, and Pietro came in. I opened my mouth to tell them off when Mystique came in with Rogue in her arms.

"Is she asleep or unconscious?" I asked calmly as Mystique set her on the floor.

"It's an induced sleep," Lance supplied, sitting on the floor.

"Wait, so you beat him to unconsciousness, but slip her a sedative?" I questioned, cautiously.

Lance shrugged, "He's a Summers. You can't always trust them to be cooperative."

I was about to reply when Mystique raised her hand for silence. Everyone obeyed instantly and she sat down on the seat across from me. The car lurched to life.

"Avalanche, why isn't our guest tied down?" Mystique asked.

Lance grinned at me, "Because he won't try anything with his brother in danger."

I looked down at Alex. He looked so pale in the moonlight. I hated the thought of turning myself in like this, but Lance was right. I wasn't going to put Alex's life in jeopardy. I stayed quiet.

_**TBC**_


	2. Settled

**Author's Note:** Thanks to all who reviewed so quickly. I forgot to mention this earlier. Logan and Rogue have a sibling relationship. Logan's like an overprotective older brother. Scott and Jean are dating too, but I think I mentioned that. I'm writing Rogue's dialogue straight, so you have to imagine the accent. 

**Chapter 2: Settled**

A few hours later, I was sill awake. Everyone else was asleep except Mystique who sat watching me. We were driving really close to New York City. I was still sitting with Alex's head on my leg. I had been looking at him for the longest time. He had gone from unconsciousness to sleep a while ago.

Suddenly he shivered, I took off my jacket and laid it over his torso and bare arms.

"You ought to get some sleep," Mystique said. Her voice cut through the air like a knife. It had been silent for hours.

I shook my head. "There's no way I'm going to get any sleep tonight

"I'm not going to hurt you while you're asleep," she informed me.

"You're not the one I'm worried about," I replied, brushing back a stray hair. In that move, I'd shown her the bruise Lance left on my temple. By her gasp, I knew she'd seen it.

"Avalanche?" she asked, looking at Alex.

I nodded without lifting my gaze from my little brother.

"How did you know that he was in trouble?" she said, quietly.

"Brother's intuition," I replied. "Now I've got a question for you. How did you know that these two kids would lead to the destruction of us?"

She smiled but remained quiet. I looked up at her. Normally, I would've been scared of her, but I needed to know who was on the inside or had been at one time.

"Come on, Mystique," I said. "I've figured it all out: Rogue gets you Wolverine, Alex gets me, and I get Jean. Eventually Ororo and Xavier will come after us."

Mystique locked eyes with me. "Congratulations," she smirked.

I looked back down at Alex and brushed a stray hair off of his forehead. I put my head against the top corner of the car and watched Alex breathe. Mystique said nothing.

A little while later, the car stopped. I looked over at Mystique. She stood up and kicked Lance in the side. He jumped up and looked at me.

"Wake them up," Mystique ordered. "Big brother, wake up the little guy."

"Alex," I said, shaking him lightly. "Alex, wake up."

He stirred and looked up at me. "Scott," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and helped him sit up in the seat. Just like me, Alex was in pain and trying to conceal it.

"What's going on?" Rogue demanded.

"Toad," Mystique ordered, "go tell Sabretooth we're on our way.

Todd left the car. Lance came over to Alex and picked him up. Mystique carefully held Rogue. That left me with Pietro.

As we got out of the car, he whispered, "You're not going to try anything stupid, are you?"

I stayed silent as Pietro pushed me into an abandoned building. Once we were inside, the door was locked. Pietro and Lance abandoned their hostages and went down a side hallway. Mystique set Rogue down. Rogue immediately began to fight.

"Rogue," I ordered. "Stop. It's not worth it."

Rogue stopped. Mystique looked me in the eyes. Alex came up to me.

"Come on," Mystique ordered. I stepped forward and pushed the other two behind me. Mystique headed down the hall. I followed her. Rogue and Alex followed me, a bit reluctantly.

After a couple of hundred feet, we stopped. Mystique turned to face us. She opened the door behind her and held it open for us. I took a deep breath and we entered the room. Mystique didn't follow. I glanced around the room. Sabretooth stood in the middle. I heard Rogue draw in a sharp breath.

"Come here," he ordered.

We came toward him. I stayed in the front. I stood strong despite the fear I usually have of him. Alex had never even seen Sabretooth, so he stood in awe. Rogue had faced him but wasn't looking forward to doing it again.

"Little boy, step forward," Sabretooth ordered.

Alex didn't move. I wasn't sure whether he was scared or determined to be uncooperative. Either way, he stayed behind me.

"Are you deaf or dumb?" Sabretooth roared, coming up to us. "I said step forward."

Alex was definitely scared now. Sabretooth came up to me. He set one of his claws right beside my ear. Slowly he dragged it over to my smashed nose. Blood slipped out. Then he slapped my across the face. His claws left four bloody streaks and I fell to the floor.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," Sabretooth told Alex, "but I will if I must. Now, come along."

Alex stepped forward. "Don't trust him, Alex," Rogue warned. Alex glanced at me as I got up. There was blood running down my face. He stepped up to Sabretooth, who led him out of the room.

"If either of you use your powers, I'll kill him," Sabretooth warned as he shut the door behind him.

I glanced at Rogue, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Though, I should be asking you that."

I smiled, "I'm fine or will be when Alex gets back here."

She wiped some of the blood off my face and onto her gloves. Then she tore the hem off her shirt and wiped the rest off.

"What happened?" she asked me.

That's when I realized that she didn't know how we'd gotten here. "We've been kidnapped. They meant to grab you and Alex, but I went to find Alex and got nabbed as well. I'm the bonus."

"Why do they want us?"

"You two can cause the destruction of the Institute," I answered truthfully. "They got you to get to Logan. Alex got me and I'll get Jean here."

Rogue gasped, "The professor won't be too far behind."

I nodded, sitting down. Rogue sat down too. "We have to do something," she whispered.

"This doesn't make any sense," I exclaimed, rather loudly. "Cerebro won't be able to find us if we don't use our powers. Do they expect us to disobey them?" It hit me. "They're having Alex shoot his lasers."

Rogue's eyes widened, "Of course! They're probably on their way all ready!"

Suddenly the door opened. We looked up but just saw Lance, Pietro, and Todd. I grimaced, knowing they were going to pick a fight with us.

I leaned over to Rogue, "No matter what, don't use your powers."

She nodded. I gave her my jacket to cover the small amount of skin she had showing. Rogue slid it on. Pietro ran up to us; Lance and Todd followed slower.

"Hey, Summers," Lance said, "we came in here, because we couldn't stand your brother's cries of pain any longer."

I sat still and quiet, so did Rogue. Lance didn't like that, so he started an earthquake in the room. Though shaken, we still didn't move. Pietro and Lance stood in front of us angrily. Todd was gone. I looked up. He was on the ceiling.

"Rogue, look out!" I called, realizing he was gone to drop on her head. Rogue rolled out of the way, but Todd kept at her. I hopped to my feet, but Lance tackled me back down. I could pin him and Lance knew it. Pietro came up and smashed his foot into my shoulder. Then he lightly set it on my forehead. I froze and Lance pinned me. Pietro laughed and kicked the side of my head. I reluctantly cried out.

Meanwhile, Rogue was running from Todd. Her only exposed skin was on her face and she didn't want Todd to touch her there. Finally she fell. Rogue covered her face with her hands and the hood of my jacket covered the rest.

While Todd continued to try to activate her powers, Pietro took off my sunglasses. I immediately shut my eyes.

"Come on, Summers," Lance teased. "Open your eyes."

They continued to taunt me and try to pry my eyes open. Suddenly the door opened; I tensed.

"Leave them alone." It was Sabretooth. "We got what we needed from this one."

A moment later, the door shut and silence ensued.

"Scott!" Rogue called. I felt my sunglasses being placed back on. I opened my eyes and sat up. Alex lay by the door. He was moaning in pain. I hopped up and practically ran over to him.

"Alex, are you okay?" I asked, picking him up.

"Yeah," he replied, "physically. I'm so sorry, Scott. I didn't catch on to what they were doing until after I blasted."

I sighed, "It's okay, Alex. We figured it out after you were gone."

Rogue slid off my jacket. I set Alex in the middle of the bare room. I took my jacket from Rogue and laid it over Alex.

"Are you injured?" I asked.

He nodded and lifted up his shirt. He had a long gash in his side. Rogue breathed in sharply. It wasn't bleeding, but it had been before. Rogue tore a little more fabric off her shirt and gave it to me. I carefully removed the blood from the surface. While I was, I tried to make a conversation:

"Let me guess," I said. "You acted like a true Summers: uncooperative."

Alex laughed as I'd hoped he would. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a small bottle of water from lunch yesterday. I poured a little on the cloth and looked into Alex's eyes.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," I whispered.

"I am, too," Alex replied.

"I know," I smiled. "You all ready told me that."

Alex smiled. I pushed the cloth onto the cut. Alex clinched his teeth together but didn't make any sounds of discomfort. I cleaned it out.

"You okay?" I asked as I pulled the cloth away.

"Yeah," he told me. "I'm fine, Scott."

Mystique came out of the shadows. I tensed and looked up at her. She held my gaze for a moment.

"Come here." I stood up and went over to her. "Scott, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Yes." What else could I say?

"I've seen the way you've handled this situation and I must compliment you."

I stayed silent. Behind me I heard Alex jump up.

"Stay back, Alex," I warned. "Don't do anything I wouldn't... don't do anything."

Mystique looked from me to Alex and back to me. Then she left the room. I glanced back toward Rogue and Alex. I could see the fear in their eyes, but they tried to relax...

That night, I sat awake again. At about eleven o'clock that night, Mystique and Sabretooth came in. They looked at Rogue and Alex asleep on the floor. Then they looked at me. I sat against the wall closest to the kids and watched Rogue and Alex.

"See," Mystique whispered a bit loudly. "I told you he would still be awake."

I glanced up to see them come up to me. When they reached me, Sabretooth wasted no time pinning me against the wall. I was all ready tired, so it wasn't too hard for him. Then Mystique tried to pry my mouth open with one hand. In the other, she had a cup with a red liquid. I kept my mouth shut. Finally Mystique stopped.

"Listen, Cyclops," Sabretooth growled. "You can either drink it or we'll inject it. It's your choice."

"What is it?" I asked all ready knowing the answer.

"Why do you even bother, Cyke?" Mystique asked.

I sighed. Mystique opened my mouth and poured the sedative in my mouth. I swallowed it.

"See that wasn't too hard," Mystique told me, patting me on the head.

Then they left. I fought off drowsiness for fifteen minutes, but I finally collapsed.

_**TBC**_


	3. Torture

**Author's Note:** _Telepathy_ This chapter is rather graphic, so there's my warning. Got it? Good. Let's get on with it.

**Chapter 3: Torture**

I awoke the next morning to the door opening. Fred came in with a tray of food before leaving. I glanced around the room. Alex crept over to me as Rogue went to check out the food.

"Scott," Alex said, sitting next to me. "How are you doing?"

I smiled. "I'm doing okay." I put an arm around his shoulder. "How are you holding up?"

"I want to go back to the Institute," he told me.

"So do I," Rogue said, coming over with the food.

"What time is it, Alex?" I asked him.

"10:02," he replied with a smug smile. I laughed at his exactness.

"Have either of you tried telepathy with Professor?" I asked, seriously.

They both shook their heads, so I decided to try to contact him. I knew I had to warn him.

_Professor._

Suddenly I got a horrible shock in my head. I clutched it and moaned in pain. Rogue and Alex just stared in confusion.

Sabretooth burst in. "Which one of you tried telepathy?" He knew the answer, so I wasn't sure why he even asked. Sabretooth grinned at me. "Do you really think we're that stupid? As soon as we let Charles get a reading, Magneto put up a magnetic shield to block all out going telepathy." He laughed and left.

I sighed, "Looks like we need a new plan. Any ideas?"

Silence fell over. I glanced at them before grabbing an apple. I could only think if Jean: the way she kissed, the way she smelled. Everything brought in painful thoughts.

"I can't believe I'm part of a trap," Rogue whispered, breaking me out of my trance.

"You're not alone, Rogue," I told her. "We are too."

She nodded. I bit into the apple. Then I set it down. There was no way I was going to eat with this going on. I went over to the door and listened for any conversations going on.

"Mystique," Lance whined.

"No," she replied. "I've watched him. If you kill the kid, there's nothing to keep Cyclops from running."

Lance sighed, "I guess you're right." The footsteps drew closer, so I turned and went back toward Alex and Rogue. I sat down against the wall behind them. No sooner, the door opened. I forced myself to look at Alex and Rogue, not the people coming in.

"So you're not going to eat either?" Mystique asked me.

I looked up at her, "No."

She sighed and came up to me, "Scott, you're just making this worse for yourself. It can be an easy experience if you let it."

I looked her dead in the eye. "Easy? Yeah, until you let Lance kill us."

Mystique never faltered. She reached out and pushed back my hair. I knew she was examining in the bruise. Then she let her fingers slide along one of the gashes on my face.

"Like I said," Mystique continued, "this can be easy."

With that she went back to the door. I noticed that Lance was standing there when Mystique began to talk to him in low tones. I looked back at Alex and Rogue. They had stopped eating to watch Mystique. I strained my ears to try to hear their words. Interrogation. Torture. Access. Jean.

Lance looked at me. I held his gaze.

"Come on, Scott," Mystique ordered. I stood up and went to her. The two of us left.

"What's Lance going to do to them?" I asked. I wondered why she kept switching from Cyclops to Scott, but didn't mention that part.

"Nothing," she told me, "if you cooperate."

"I doubt that," I muttered. Mystique said nothing, but lead me down the halls. I let her even though I knew that Alex and Rogue would get hurt. Mystique led me into an office. Magneto sat behind a desk. My breath got caught in my chest.

"Sit," Mystique ordered, pointing to a chair facing the desk. I sat. Mystique left us alone.

"Hello, Cyclops," Magneto greeted. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, sir," I told him, as politely as I could. "How are you?"

Magneto smiled, "You are very polite, but... Mystique said you've been a bit uncooperative in this operation of ours."

"In what way, sir?" I asked.

"You haven't been sleeping on your own," Magneto said. "I bet you haven't been eating either."

I looked him in the eyes, "It's not that I do it just to be uncooperative, sir. It's just that I can't do it."

Magneto nodded, "You don't feel safe here. I understand." I opened my mouth to speak, but shut it without a word. "It's your brother, isn't it?"

I paused, "Yes, sir."

"What's on your mind?" he asked, sitting back in his chair.

"Well, sir, I'm worried that Alex will be killed when Jean arrives," I told him. I was trying to be truthful for two reasons: I hoped he'd spare Alex and Jean and, believe it or not, I feared him.

"And why would that happen?"

"Alex is keeping me here, sir. When Jean arrives, you won't need them both here..." I trailed off.

Magneto stayed quiet, as if he was thinking. I glanced at his desktop. There were four metal rings sitting on it. They were opened and looked like restraints, only they were attached to anything. Then I understood.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Magneto stated. With a flick of his wrist, the clamps attached to me: one on each wrist and ankle. I was scared now, but I wasn't about to show it to him. That's what he intended.

What do you want?" I asked him boldly.

"The access codes to the Institute," Magneto said. "Once Charles gets here, we'll break in and teach at the Institute."

"What'll happen to us?"

"That hasn't been decided yet."

I swallowed. "Which codes?"

"All of them," he ordered. "Tell me all of the codes."

"I don't know them," I told him. It was a half-truth. I knew the ones to the Danger Room and the outdoor security system, but that was it.

"Bullshit," he stated, flipping his wrist. I flew out of the chair and hitting the wall with painful force. The metal clamps put my body at his control. "Tell me the codes!"

"The only one I know is to the cameras outside," I replied, "but you all ready know that one."

Magneto flipped me to the floor roughly. The impact was brutal on my ribs.

"Then how do you get in the front door?" he asked.

"The cameras recognize the students and the door opens for a positive ID."

"So," Magneto said, pushing me into the wall, "I'll have to drag your brother out there to get in there?"

"The security system will attack you even if it IDs Alex," I replied.

"Hmmm..." he thought, throwing me back on the floor. I coughed.

Suddenly Sabretooth came in. He walked up to Magneto and spoke to him in a low voice. I didn't even try to eavesdrop. I was in too much pain to even move. Then Sabretooth glanced at me and nodded. Magneto smiled as Sabretooth came up to me.

"The access codes," Sabretooth demanded.

"I don't know them!" I repeated.

Magneto pressed me into the wall. Sabretooth's claws tore into the flesh on my stomach. The pain was almost unbearable. I could feel the blood running down my body. Sabretooth held up his hands to show me his bloody claws.

"I ask again," Magneto said from his chair, "what are the access codes?"

"I don't know them!" I repeated.

Sabretooth dug his claws into my torso. I cried out unwillingly.

"I don't know any access codes," I told them.

"While that may be a possibility," Magneto said, "I doubt it." He flipped me to the floor.

After five more minutes of being tortured, Mystique came in. I tensed, because I assumed that she was going to attack me.

"We have company," she reported. "Blob will lead him back to the room."

At that, Fred came in. Magneto took off the clamps and Fred led me back to the white room, while the Brotherhood prepared for something. The journey back was painful, because it hurt to move and Fred kept me moving. After a long, painful trip, we ended up in the white room. Fred left with Lance, who was still there with Alex and Rogue. I glanced around the room.

Rogue lay unconscious on the floor. She was bruised badly, so I figured Lance beat her with some kind of pole or stick. Alex was sitting in the corner holding his right arm gently. I ran over to him.

"Alex," I said. "Oh, Alex. Are you okay?"

"Yeah— no," he replied. "He dislocated my shoulder. I popped it back in, but the pain is horrendous."

I nodded, "Just relax." I looked around the room for a possible sling. I spotted a pile of bandages and water bottles. "Where did those came from?"

"I don't know," Alex replied. I limped over to the pile. I took a rolled up cloth bandage and went back to Alex. "What happened to you?" he asked.

"Friendly interrogation," I told him. "Only I got two bad cops."

Alex laughed, "We'll have to bandage you up next."

"I think Jean'll be able to help you with that," I told him, tying his arm into a makeshift sling.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, lifting up my blood stained shirt to look at the gashes.

I watched him examine them. "They left me alone, because someone came. Sabretooth didn't react, so I doubt it's Logan."

Alex pulled himself to his feet and went over to Rogue. I followed slowly.

"He used a baseball bat," Alex offered. I cringed at the thought. "Should we wake her?"

"No," I replied. "She's out of pain right now. She's escaped it."

"All right. Let's bandage you up."

"I'm fine, Alex." It was a lie. I was in a tremendous amount of pain and Alex knew it. I smiled, "Okay, let's do this."

I slid off my shirt. Alex gasped a little at the gashes and blood. I laid down as he got bandages and water. I drew in my breath sharply as the pain elevated.

"Scott?" Alex asked me. "Take it slow."

"My ribs are definitely bruised," I told him. "Plus my left leg..."

Alex rushed back over and pushed up my pant leg. There was a long gash down it. "I guess we'll fix that one first. It seems to be the worst one on you," Alex stated. I nodded.

Suddenly the door opened. Somehow Rogue was awakened with a star. In the doorway was Jean...

**_TBC_**


	4. Torn

**Chapter 4: Torn**

I was on my feet and to Jean before the door even shut. My pain was forgotten as I got lost in Jean. Our lips met and I was gone. I took in her smell, her taste, her hair, her breath, everything! Finally our lips parted. I looked Jean in the eyes and lost myself all over again.

"I love you," Jean whispered.

"I love you too," I told her, taking a step back. I looked at her for any signs of injury.

"Hi, Jean," Alex said, coming up to her and giving her a hug.

"Hey, small fry," she returned. "Have you been taking good care of this goofball?"

Alex nodded, "Actually I was just about to bandage him up."

Rogue moaned in pain, "What's going on?"

"Jean's here," I told her.

"More company," she muttered. Rogue wasn't jealous. She'd dropped all of the jealousy when Jean and I got together for real.

"Come on, Scott," Jean said. "We're going to bandage you up." I realized my shirt was off and she could see the gashes in my flesh.

I limped back over to the spot I was at earlier. Alex, Jean, and Rogue all came over. The painful process of bandaging me took well over an hour. They tried to be gentle, but it was still painful. Every once in a while, Jean placed a kiss on my forehead to show her affection. Alex tried to make jokes to ease our minds. Rogue stayed quiet as she poured the water.

After they finished, I looked pretty funny. My middle area was wrapped up to ease my bruised ribs. My leg was still bleeding, but it was wrapped up tightly. I slid my jacket straight over the bandages and Jean wore my bloodstained shirt for comfort. Then we filled Jean in on everything that had happened or was going to happen.

Finally Rogue asked the question I knew she would, "Where's Logan?"

Jean sighed, "We split up as soon as we entered the city. He took the East; I took the West. This building is in the middle, so he'll end up here. No doubt about it." That wasn't what Rogue wanted to hear, but it was the truth.

I took Jean's hands in mine. I tensed as the door opened again. Lance came in with some food. I turned around to look at him. He glanced at me before setting down the tray.

"Mystique said that if you don't eat, she'll let Sabretooth at Jean and Alex," Lance reported, stone-faced. Then he left.

I looked at Jean. She stood up and got the tray. Then she brought it over to our little huddle.

"He hasn't eaten since we got nabbed," Alex told Jean as she sat down. "I'm not sure if he's slept either."

"I have too slept," I shot back. "It was induced, but I slept, remember?"

Alex nodded; Jean smiled.

"Come on, Scott," Jean coaxed.

"You have to eat somethin'" Rogue told me.

"I know," I admitted. "I just don't quite trust them. I mean, they beat us up. Then they turn around and feed us. I don't get it."

"You're right," Alex said. "It doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

"Unless they're trying to show us that they're the boss, but they don't want us to die or escape either," Jean commented.

I nodded, "Are you okay, Rogue?"

She gave a weak smile, "It hurts to breathe."

"I know," I told her. "I hurt too."

"Write it down, Alex!" Jean crowed. "Scott just admitted to being in pain." I laughed; so did everyone else.

"Come on, Scott," Jean said. "You have to eat now."

I nodded, "I know, Jean."

She handed me one of the hamburgers. I looked at it for a moment before taking a bite. I had to force it down my throat, but I swallowed.

"So you'll eat for her?" Alex asked sarcastically. "Geez, Scott, I thought you would listen to your own brother."

I laughed and threatened to throw the hamburger at him. Alex smiled. Slowly we all ate a hamburger and some potato chips. I wasn't sure why it was so hard for me to eat, but it was. A few minutes into eating, Mystique came in.

"So are you eating now?" she asked.

I looked at her. "I guess so. I don't want to die in here."

Mystique looked at my bandaged ribs. "You could've just told him the access codes."

"I don't know them," I told her.

She shrugged, "We'll see if your Wolverine friend knows them." She smiled, "Get some sleep or we'll drug you again, understood?"

I nodded and she left. Rogue immediately burst in tears. We all stared at her in shock and wished we could do something, anything, to comfort her, but Rogue was upset and in horrible pain. Jean reached out and carefully gave her a hug.

"What time is it, Alex?" I asked.

"5:30 pm," he reported.

I sighed. It would probably be at least four hours before they came back to drug me up. Now what should we do?

"Oh, and Jean," I remembered as Rogue stopped crying. "Don't try any telepathy to the outside. There's a magnetic shield blocking everything, so all you get is a shocking headache."

"Does that mean inner telepathy works?" Jean asked.

"I don't know," I admitted. Ever since Jean and I had become a couple, we had gained a very strong telepathic bond.

_I love you, Scott._

_I love you, too, Jean._ I smiled at her.

"I guess it worked," Alex said, "but what good'll it do?"

"We can warn Logan as soon as he enters the building," Rogue suggested.

Jean nodded, "We'll just have to watch and try to figure out when he enters the building."

"Did you get nabbed inside or outside?" I asked.

She paused, "Outside, but with Logan's sense of smell, he'll probably come in after Sabretooth."

Suddenly Alex jumped up. He began to search around the room. One door led into the hallway, but we didn't know about the other two. Alex strolled up to one and opened it with his working arm. It was a bathroom. Alex went in and shut the door behind him.

I laughed. Jean ran her fingers along the gashes on my face. I smiled and kissed her. Rogue sat in silence. She seemed to be very deep in thought. Alex came out of the bathroom and came over to us. No sooner, Mystique and Lance came in. I began to climb to my feet.

"Don't get up for us," Mystique cooed. "In fact, sit down!"

I sat back down; so did Alex. Lance smirked. They came over to our little huddle.

"What do you want?" Jean demanded.

_Calm down, Jean._

She glanced over at me._ But Scott?_

I looked her in the eyes._ You do not want to get them mad, Jean._

"Are- are they communicating?" Lance asked Mystique. "He doesn't have the power of telepathy."

"I want the little brother," Mystique announced.

I felt fear and panic begin to erupt. Lance came up to me and stepped on my injured leg. Blood immediately soaked the bandage and I clenched my teeth to try to ease the pain. Lance gave a little laugh and eased off the pressure a bit. The bandage was bright red now.

"Avalanche," Mystique warned. "We don't want to kill anyone."

Lance nodded, "I know. I won't kill him."

I glanced over at Alex, who was watching Mystique carefully. "Come," Mystique told him. "I won't hurt you unless you give me a reason to."

"Go on, Alex," I told him. I wanted to stay on Mystique's good side, if she had one. "We'll be fine."

Mystique tried to stay serious, "Listen to your brother. Let's go."

Alex climbed to his feet. His arm slowed him down, but he did it. They started to the door.

Suddenly Sabretooth burst in. "He's here."

**_TBC_**


	5. Reflections

**Chapter 5: Reflections**

Mystique lost her concentration for a moment. Then she let orders fly.

"Sabretooth, go down and meet up with our newest hostage. Do not kill him under any circumstances. I'll be down as soon as I can, two minutes tops." Sabretooth left. "Avalanche, watch them. Do not let that one use telepathy. Watch them very closely." With that, Mystique ran off.

We were stuck alone with Lance. "Here's how it's going to happen," Lance said. "All of you will sit on your hands, or hand if that's the case." Lance glanced at Alex and grinned. Alex slowly sat down and moved his good arm under him. I moved my hands under me; the others did as well.

"Good," Lance said.

I glanced at Jean. She held my gaze. _Should I warn Logan?_

_It's probably to late, but you can try if you want._

Suddenly Lance kicked me in the stomach. I cried out in pain and looked up at him. Lance smirked at me and returned the pressure to my injured leg.

"Everyone, be quiet," Lance ordered, "except Jean. I want you to keep talking.:

We all knew what he wanted. If he kept her talking, then Jean wouldn't be able to concentrate enough to send a telepathic message. Jean sighed and looked up at Lance. Lance smiled and applied more pressure to my leg. My pain elevated.

"Talk to me, Jean," Lance stated.

"What do you want me to say?" Jean asked him.

An evil grin spread across his face. I understood. "Lance, don't even think about it," I growled.

"Shut up!" Lance barked, stomping down on my leg. I clenched my teeth together, so I wouldn't cry out.

Jean seized the opening. _Logan, it's a trap. Get out!_

Somehow Lance knew what she had done. He became angered and took it out on me. He started beating his fists into me. Pain exploded throughout my entire body. By the time Jean telekinetically flipped him off of me, I was barely conscious.

I had managed to stay conscious while Lance stomped around angrily.

After a while, Mystique and Sabretooth had returned with Logan in their arms. As soon as the door had opened, Alex dove on top of Rogue. We all knew that she'd do something rash. I would've done it if I could've.

"Smart kid," Mystique had murmured, as they set Logan on the floor.

"Is he-?" Rogue had asked from her position under Alex.

"No," Sabretooth said, disappointed. "He's just asleep thanks to a very strong tranquilizer."

Mystique had glanced over at me. I was in tremendous pain and laying flat on the floor. My eyes must've been glazed over or something, because she came over to check me out. I looked up at her.

"Avalanche," Mystique had said. "What did you do to him?"

"She used telepathy," he had admitted, "and I- uh... got a little mad."

Mystique had gotten really mad and Lance had left us in a hurry. "Come, Sabretooth," Mystique had ordered. "We'll have our fun later." They had left and Rogue had looked around again. I had feared that she would cry, but she hadn't.

Now it was nine o'clock. That happened over two hours ago. Logan was still asleep where they'd left him. I figured his healing power must not work on tranquilizers. Rogue was asleep near him. She was close enough to feel safe, but far enough away that she wouldn't accidentally steal his powers. Alex lay on the floor just to the right of me. He was sleeping on his left side to stay off his injured shoulder. Jean was asleep to my left. She had stayed awake for a while, but eventually fell asleep.

I looked from Alex to Jean. They were all I really cared about. I couldn't live right without either of them. Alex was all the family I had left, since the accident. When I looked at him, I saw myself. He was as much a part of me as my stomach, which was empty at the time.

Jean was the love of my life. It had taken us years to sort out our feelings and finally go out. It was like magic every time I was near her. Whenever we were apart, I ached for her and longed to hold her in my arms. No one could tear us apart.

I looked over at Logan. We had never really gotten along... ever. I wondered how things would look tomorrow when he was awake with us.. They would interrogate him for the access codes as well, but Logan won't tell them, because they torture him. He might tell them if they hurt Rogue, but threats and injuries to him will get nothing accomplished. He healed fast, so he'd probably try to fight them tomorrow. He'd lose it though. Magneto could hold him down really easily.

I moved my gaze over to Rogue. This experience had her shaken up at first, but she was relaxing now. She seemed to be maturing right before my eyes. She had lost her cool when Logan was brought to us, but I figured she would get it back when he woke up tomorrow.

My gaze moved to the door. I started to think about Magneto's plan. He had said they were going to "break in and teach". The only thing I could think of was that they might turn the Institute into a place for them. They could teach the students and force them to break the law. They'd have mutants rule and no more FOH's. As crazy as it sounded, it made perfect sense when I was thinking of Magneto. I couldn't let them destroy humanity.

Then I thought about the professor. What would happen to him when Magneto got a hold of him? He'd be interrogated. Then he'd either be forced to join them or be killed. We'd probably be forced to join them or held as a prisoner. Sabretooth would probably be allowed to fight Logan and win by cheating. I felt tears brimming in my eyelids. I couldn't remember the last time I'd cried.

Suddenly the door opened. I looked up as Mystique approached me.

"You're earlier than I thought you'd be," I told her. "I'm not going to get any sleep on my own, so you might as well give me the sedative."

She nodded and pulled out a bottle. She poured the red liquid into the cap. Then she opened my mouth and poured it in. I swallowed it without any hesitations or second thoughts. She turned to leave.

"Mystique," I said. She turned back around. "This cut on my leg has been bleeding for over six hours."

She nodded and left. I laid down, anxious for some sleep. My eyelids got heavy. Then I blacked out. My last thoughts were of Alex and Jean.

Slowly I awoke. Something stung in my arm. I went to swat it, but my arm was restrained. As my vision came into focus, I realized I was fully restrained. I was on a metal table with my pants rolled up. A strong light was above me.

"What's going on?" I asked anyone who happened to be in the room.

Magneto's silhouette blocked out part of the light, "How are you doing, Cyclops?"

"I'm in pain," I told him, truthfully.

He nodded, "I understand. That was a nasty cut you had on your leg."

"What did you do to me?" I asked.

"Twenty-seven stitches," he replied, "and your ribs are not broken."

There was a sudden sting in my arm. I glanced over toward it. Mystique was injecting something into the IV string. She emptied out the syringe. "I assumed you want a painkiller, was I correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," I told her. She brightened the slightest bit when I called her ma'am. That was the reaction I was hoping for.

Mystique patted me on the head. "Lance did a pretty nasty job, didn't he?"

"Yes, ma'am," I decided not to bother to tell her that my worst injuries weren't even from him.

"Try to relax," Magneto told me. "Just ease your mind."

"Eric, should we take him back?" Mystique asked.

"I don't know..." he trailed off.

A sudden pain tore through my leg. I cried out and jerked against the restraints. The pain passed and I looked up at Magneto's confused face.

"I'm fine."

Magneto nodded, "We'll keep him here for fifteen more minutes. Then we'll take him back to the room."

I lay back down and breathed slowly. Mystique and Magneto moved around the rook in a hurried manner. I tried to block them out and tried to imagine my pain disappearing completely. I was almost asleep when Mystique dropped something loud. The clang jerked me back to reality. I looked over at Magneto; he was looking at me.

"Are you ready to go back?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," I said.

Magneto flipped his wrists and the restraints were released. Then he carefully removed the IV string. His power never seized to amaze me. He had such control over it. I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the table. I clenched my teeth together as blood flowed into them.

"Come here," Mystique ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," I walked over to her. She turned me to face away from her before tying a blindfold over my eyes. An alarm went off in my head. Then I relaxed and tried to use my other senses. I felt a hand brush past my shoulder.

"This is a necessary precaution," Magneto informed me. "Just relax and follow my orders and you'll have absolutely no trouble, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. How's your leg?"

"It's numb, sir."

"Can you walk on it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's go back to your room. I'm sure there are some people anxious to see you."

I paused. Did he mean the four of them or were there more than that now? Magneto gave me a small push to get me started. I continued to move straight until he told me otherwise. After five minutes and quite a few turns, we stopped.

"Wait here," Magneto ordered.

I heard his footsteps descending and Mystique said, "You're quite as peculiar character."

"What do you mean, ma'am?"

"I'm just saying you're different. With the other prisoners, you're like the boss. Around Avalanche, you're bold and take the offense. When you're with Magneto, you act like a humble servant. It's kind of like the many faces of Cyclops."

I swallowed roughly. Magneto returned. I heard a door open in front of me. "Move forward."

I stepped through the doorway and the door shut behind me. I immediately slid the blindfold up to my forehead. I was in a room the size of a closet. There was a door in front of me. I opened it and stepped into the white room.

As I shut the door, Jean ran up to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. I lost myself in her like I always did. She pulled the blindfold off my forehead and tossed it to the floor. Then she pulled off me.

"Scott, what happened?" she asked. "We were so worried."

I glanced at the door I'd entered. Now we knew what was behind every door in the room. Jean and I went over to where Rogue, Alex, and Logan were sitting. I sat down next to Alex and Jean sat next to me.

"What happened?" Jean repeated, slipping her hand into mine.

"They patched me up," I said. "They cleaned out the cuts and stitched up my leg."

I could easily see the confusion on Logan's face. He was in perfect condition, as I knew he would be. Rogue seemed fine too. I knew what had happened here. Logan had let Rogue borrow his healing power temporarily. They did that often.

"How many stitches?" Alex asked as he looked at my tightly wrapped leg.

"I think he said twenty-seven," I reported.

Silence fell over the group. I looked at Logan as he wrapped an arm around Rogue's shoulders. He was never scared of accidentally activating her powers. Suddenly the front door opened.

**_TBC_**


	6. Questions

**Chapter 6: Questions**

Magneto stood in the open doorway. He stepped in and shut the door behind him. He had a sack in his left hand.

"Everyone stand up," he ordered. We obeyed rather reluctantly. Logan was the most reluctant, but Alex was the slowest because of his shoulder injury. Logan pushed Rogue behind him. I moved in front of Jean and Alex. I didn't have a clue toward what was going on, but I wasn't going to let anyone get hurt. I knew Logan felt the same way I did.

"What do you want, bub?" Logan demanded, knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer.

I glanced at the sack. Magneto smirked and shook it. "You know what these are, don't you, Cyclops?"

My breath stopped halfway in. I did know what was in it. Fear swept over me, but so did the need to protect the others.

_What is it, Scott?_ Jean asked me.

"You still want those codes, don't you?" I asked Magneto.

He smiled, "You catch on quickly." I was right. Wolverine stepped forward and extracted his claws with a loud metallic SHINK!

"Must I remind you that your body is full of metal?" Magneto asked.

Then Sabretooth came into the room. I tensed; so did Alex. They were definitely going to start something. Magneto set the sack down on the floor and told me, "I won't open it if I don't have to."

I glanced at Jean. _Tell Logan what's happening._

She gave a little smile before using telepathy with Logan. I could tell she was doing it, but wondered whether Magneto knew it or not.

"You won't get any access codes from me," Logan stated.

"We'll see about that," Magneto replied, snapping his fingers. Sabretooth took a step toward Logan. They started circling around slowly. I glanced over at Magneto. He was watching something intently. I followed his gaze to Rogue. Realization clicked. I looked at my brother. Alex was on his toes, ready to tackle Rogue out of the way. I locked eyes with him and pointed to my right arm. Alex looked at his arm as I'd signaled. He looked at the sling I'd made. He knew what I trying to tell him, so he nodded.

Suddenly Sabretooth let out a low growl. Instinctively, my right hand shot up to my sunglasses. I saw that Sabretooth had all ready passed Rogue once and was coming around again.

"Don't shoot, Cyclops," Magneto said, opening the sack.

I let my hand fall to my side. I could tell now that Sabretooth was definitely going to grab Rogue this time around. Without a second thought, I tackled Rogue flat just as Sabretooth made his move. As we hit the floor, I feared that her powers would activate, but it didn't.

Sabretooth let out another growl.

"You're asking for it," Magneto warned me. "Just move back over to your brother and we'll forget about this, okay?"

I climbed to my feet; so did Rogue. I moved in front of her and held my ground. Sabretooth advanced on us. Logan stood in a slight daze. Sabretooth stopped in front of us.

"So," I took the offense, "you're going to use a girl to get you what you want?"

"Not just a girl," Magneto said, dropping the sack, "one of the X-men." Four clamps rolled out of the sack.

By now, Logan was out of his daze and had realized what was going on. He came up to Sabretooth for a fight. Magneto flipped his wrist and sent Logan flying into one of the walls.

Rogue tensed as Magneto addressed us all, "This is your last chance X-men. Tell me the access cades codes to the Institute now. This is your last chance before things have to get ugly." Magneto pulled three more clamps out of his sack.

I tensed as Sabretooth set his claws on my face. "You know how sharp these things are," he hissed.

Magneto twirled his finger. The seven clamps began to spin in a circle in the air. Then Magneto pushed his hand out and the clamps attached themselves to Alex and Jean. Jean had one on each wrist and ankle. Alex had three, excluding his injured arm. Magneto kept his hand flexed t keep them pinned to the wall. I looked from them to Magneto and tried desperately to control myself.

Suddenly the door opened again. Lance and Pietro entered. I felt myself began to panic. I glanced over at Logan only to see him staggering to his feet. Lance walked straight over to Jean. Pietro moved over to Alex. My fear level raised a couple notches.

"Here's the way it's going down," Magneto stated, flipping Logan back into the wall with his free hand. "Wolverine is going to tell us the access codes or Rogue will get hurt. It's that simple."

Sabretooth took a step back from me. I glanced at Jean, who was unsuccessfully jerking at her clamps.

_Tell Logan to say that he only knows the one to the cameras._ I sent Jean my idea.

A moment later, Logan spoke, "I'll tell you the only one I know. The security cameras are 67093."

"Bullshit," Magneto stated. Pietro ran up to me and twisted my arms up behind my back. I didn't even expect it. I pulled against his grip, but only received a sharp pain throughout my body. With me out of the way, Sabretooth advanced on Rogue.

"Leave her alone," Logan pleaded.

"Tell me the access codes," Magneto ordered as Sabretooth carefully rendered Rogue defenseless.

"I don't know any," Logan lied just as I had done the day before.

Jean's voice cut through the air, "Lance, touch me again and I swear that I will kick your ass as soon as I'm free."

No one had ever heard Jean cuss before, so silence fell over for a moment. I glanced up at her. She was clearly mad at Lance. Lance gave Magneto a sheepish look before moving over to Alex.

Pietro gave a rough jerk on my left arm. "She's quite a girl, eh?"

I said nothing to him. Logan was now walking toward Magneto very cautiously. "I don't want any trouble, but I don't know any codes." His self-control was very uncharacteristic.

Logan and Magneto started to discuss something. I tuned them out, so I could hear Lance's threats to Alex. Alex just stared ahead and took everything Lance dished out. Lance didn't like this. I knew that and I knew what was to come next.

As I'd known, Lance threw a punch, a right hook to be exact. It hit Alex in the jaw with a sickening crack. Both of our heads snapped to the side: Alex's from contact and mine from the emotional damage. Pietro laughed at my reaction.

"Let's go," Magneto ordered sharply. I looked at him to see what had been decided.

Sabretooth threw Rogue to the floor. Then he grabbed Logan and twisted his arms behind his back. Magneto, Logan, and Sabretooth headed toward the door. At the edge of the door, Logan shot me a look that read as protect- my-girl. I nodded to show that I understood and they left.

Immediately Alex and Jean fell to the floor as the magnetism gave out. Alex didn't get back up.

"Alex," I called out.

Jean and Rogue were both on their feet and to Alex before Lance could even move. Pietro tightened his grip on my arms as Jean rolled Alex on his back. Lance started to move toward them. Without looking up from Alex, Jean flipped Lance into the opposite wall with her telekinesis.

"Jean?" I inquired about Alex. Pietro grip never loosened. If anything, it continued to tighten.

"He's unconscious," Jean reported. "My guess is that his arm broke from the fall and he passed out from the pain."

"His arm's broken?" Rogue asked.

Jean merely nodded in sadness. I jerked against Pietro's grip, but it didn't do any good. Lance came stumbling over to us. He was obviously angry. Lance came up to Pietro and me.

"What's the game plan?" Pietro asked.

"Do we have all of the information Magneto wanted?" Lance returned.

"Real names, code names, and mutant powers."

Lance nodded. "We know it all, so I'm ready to have some fun."

Pietro nodded. Lance pulled out a piece of plastic cording and tied my wrists together behind my back. The cord was almost cutting into my skin. They set me by one of the walls, so I was facing Jean.

_Get out._ It told Jean. _Take Rogue, too._

Jean took a step toward the door. Pietro ran up to her and twisted her arms behind her.

"What are you going to do to her?" I demanded.

Instead of answering me, Lance walked up to Jean and pressed his lips onto hers.

**_TBC_**


	7. Pain

**Kojie-** The rest of the kids from the Institute are still at the Institute they'll be introduced in a few chapters. **Lucky439-** Thanks for your loyalty and all the reviews.

**Chapter 7: Pain**

I tried to get on my feet but couldn't. The painkiller was wearing off and the lack of blood in my arms was practically killing me. I made another attempt to get up, but fell back down.

Rogue stood behind Pietro, unnoticed by everyone. I spotted her when she took off her right glove. I knew what she was going to do. Rogue set her bare hand on Pietro's cheek. He seized up and collapsed on the floor. He wasn't unconscious, but he was weaker. Lance latched his hands onto Jean's arms and kissed her again. Jean struggled, but Lance was stronger.

Rogue must've only received a small amount of power, because Pietro recovered within minutes. He got up and went to the door. He left for a few seconds. Then he returned with a wooden bat. Fear engulfed my senses.

Pietro heisted up the bat and walked up to Rogue. He swung the bat and made contact. I was on my feet when I heard the crack. Pietro swung the bat back over his shoulder in preparation to her hit her again. Pietro swung. I ran toward him. The bat connected with the back of my head. I blacked out before I even hit the floor. The last thing I heard was Jean yell:

"Scott!"

I woke up slowly. My eyes were glazed over and I was dizzy. Then I remembered exactly what had happened.

"Where's Alex?" I demanded, sitting bolt up right. In that move, I cleared away all of my remaining dizziness. Two strong hands immediately pushed me back down to the floor.

"Calm down, Scott," Jean said from my right. "It's okay."

"Lay down, One-Eye," Logan ordered from my left

"Rogue," I stated. "Is she okay?"

Logan nodded and Rogue walked into my view. She seemed fine, but that didn't mean much. "I'm so sorry, Scott. I was tryin' to help Jean, but you ended up getting hurt instead."

I looked at Logan. "I promised you I'd protect her." Logan nodded again.

I smiled at Jean. _Are you okay?_

She nodded.

"Where's Alex?" I asked again.

"Well, uh..." Jean started. She held a degree of fear in her eyes and it immediately hit me. I felt myself begin to panic. Where was my little brother? What was being done to him?

"It's like this," Rogue explained. "When you blacked out, Lance and Pietro ran. They were scared, I guess. Five minutes later, Sabretooth and Magneto came in. They dropped off Logan and got Alex. They said something about fixing his arm.

I relaxed. "Can I sit up?" I asked Logan and Jean. "Please?"

They looked at each other before letting me sit up. Dizziness threatened to return, but I fought it off. I glanced around the room. Everything was as it had been, except for one thing: a rather large spider sat on the wall by the door.

"Mystique," I called. "Are you concerned or curious?"

I caught Jean's confused look, but still continued. Logan lifted his head and smelled the air. Suddenly the spider transformed into Mystique. I smiled at Jean as Mystique came up to us.

"Back away," Mystique ordered Logan and Jean. They obeyed a bit reluctantly. "Cyclops-"

"Were you spying on us or were you actually concerned?" I demanded rather harshly.

"I was concerned," Mystique stated. "You are by far the most injured out of all of you and I wanted to see how you'd react to your brother being gone. Plus I brought you some more painkiller."

I looked her dead in the eyes. There was something really strange going on, but I wasn't sure what. "Where's Alex?"

"The same place you were this morning," Mystique replied as she pulled out a full syringe. "They're fixing his arm."

"I guess I made everyone mad. Pietro, Lance, Sabretooth, and Magneto have all hurt me in some way." I paused as the needle pierced my skin. She injected the substance and removed the needle carefully.

I winced; she spoke. "Can I take a look at your head injury?"

"What if I say no?" I asked. I noticed Logan had pushed Rogue behind him again. He really didn't trust Mystique. I didn't either. I had no reason to.

Mystique shrugged. "I'll do it anyway. I just figured I'd give you the chance to let me do it."

"Then I guess I'll give you my permission," I told her. I looked at Jean. She was watching me closely, but I couldn't say that I blamed her.

Mystique tipped my head down and ran her blue fingers along the back of it. The feeling was very uncomfortable, but I said nothing. She found my injury quickly. I winced as she touched it. She either didn't notice or ignored it.

I decided to communicate with Jean. _What did Lance do to you?_

_Just a few kisses. It was nothing, Scott, but he probably would've done more if you hadn't blacked out. That scared him away._

_So I saved you._ I pointed out trying to lighten the subject.

Jean smiled at me. I saw Mystique stand up. Then I looked at Jean. She watched Mystique move toward the door. Suddenly Logan popped his claws out of both of his hands.

Without even turning around, Mystique spoke, "Don't do anything stupid, Wolverine. I'll bring Alex back soon." With that, she left us alone. I immediately embraced Jean. I held her close and kissed her a couple of times. Finally Jean pulled away.

I sat still after that. I didn't move and didn't say anything. I was too worried about Alex to do anything. Food was delivered along with two blankets. Logan wrapped one blanket around Rogue, because she was cold. The other one sat by the door. Jean had one her and my shirt. I had my jacket on over the bandages. The three of them ate, but I wouldn't. I couldn't.

"Jean," I called when I realized she still had the clamps on. "The release to those are up inside. You can't reach them with a finger, but maybe a long, metal claw..."I let the sentence hang. Logan popped his claws out of his right hand. After some careful maneuvering, he managed to release the clamps on her.

I sat silently. The emotional pain was building up. What were they doing to him? Was he okay? Jean had said that she couldn't reach him with telepathy. I couldn't remember being this scared since... well, since the plane crash. There was no way of knowing what was going on.

A sudden pain shot through my body. I unwillingly cried out as it climaxed. Then it passed. I looked up at Jean's beautiful face. Concern was all over it. I shot her a fake smile of reassurance.

"Are you okay?" Jean asked me.

I nodded, "I'm fine, Jean. Really." Logan snorted a laugh; I glared at him.

With Jean's prompting look, Logan explained, "It's like this. I can smell your fear and practically see the pain oozing out of you." I gave a meek smile.

Jean scowled at me, "Don't you lie to me, Scott Summers."

I dropped my head in fake shame. I was really only trying to avoid her gaze, because I knew that if I did, I would never quit laughing.

Then the door opened again. I tried to conceal my hope as I heard the hinges squeak. I looked up and saw Magneto standing in the doorway. Confusion and disappointment ran through my entire body. Magneto had a look that could only be read as complete business.

"I want Jean," he stated simply, "now."

No, I wanted to yell. I would go insane if both she and Alex were gone. I couldn't let her leave me. I couldn't let her go with him. She'd be in major danger if she went. No, I wouldn't let her.

"Please," I found myself begging. "Take me instead if her."

Magneto looked around the room and shrugged, " All right. Come along, Cyclops."

I rose to my feet and walked to the door. Magneto said nothing. I thought of trying to escape but threw out the idea. It would just get us in deeper. When I reached the door, Magneto pulled out one of those plastic ripcords. I put my wrists together and held them out to him. Magneto put the plastic under them and threaded one end through the loop in the other. He yanked the end roughly. The cord pulled tightly against my wrists and latched. Then he led me away from them.

_I love you, Jean._

_You know that I love you_, Scott.

The path we took seemed familiar. Then I realized where we were going: to his office. Magneto led me along quietly. I stayed silent as well. As I'd known all ready, Magneto herded me into his office.

"Sit," he ordered, bluntly. I slowly eased myself into one of the chairs facing his desk. I expected him to sit at his desk, but he didn't. Magneto left the office and locked the door behind him. I was confused.

Another sharp pain tore through my body. I relaxed and let it pass. Questions filled my head. What was going on? Was everyone okay? When would the professor get caught in Magneto's trap? Was Alex with the others yet?

"I guess I'll have to wait and see," I muttered to myself.

**_TBC_**


	8. Location

**AN: **Little OOCness.

**Chapter 8: Location**

I sat around for a while, but boredom soon set in. I looked around the office. My eyes finally rested on a pile of papers on the desk. I carefully picked them up in my numb hands. I glanced at the first page. It had two access codes on it: one to the security and one to the danger room. Logan knew a lot more than those two. In fact, he knew them all, but he must've been able to convince them otherwise. I took that paper off the top and set it face down on the desk. I glanced at the next page and stopped breathing completely.

It was an information page on Scott Summers. The top half had two pictures of me: one school picture and one action picture. The bottom had way too much of my personal information. My name was first. Then there was my code name, health statistics, and a lot of other information. I pulled the page off and set it on the first one. The next page was for Jean Grey. It was set up the exact same way as mine. The next three pages were for Alex Summers, Marie Darkholme, and Logan. I shuddered slightly and set them on the others.

The next page was a map of the Institute, the floor plan to be exact. I studied it carefully. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I looked at the bedrooms. Alex's was circled in red and Rogue's had a blue ring around it. I moved that page off quickly.

The rest of the pages were blank information sheets. I set them on the others and put the whole pile back where I found it. I was looking around the room for something else to do when I heard the lock click to open. I put my wrists between my knees and waited for the person to come in and do what they pleased with me. I sat sill as the door opened. I debated whether or not to look at the person or not. Finally I decided not to.

Sabretooth stepped into my view. I tried hard to look like I was concealing fear.

"Wh-what's going on?" I asked.

Sabretooth chuckled, "I can smell fear, too. You aren't scared of me, but you ought to be."

I looked up at him and relaxed, "Well? What's going on?"

"You are in no position to demand anything from me!" Sabretooth boomed and sat on top of the desk. He watched me "I heard that one of the boys tried to take advantage of your girl a while ago." He was so smug.

I shrugged falsely, "He didn't get very far." I was trying very hard to conceal my anger and blow it off.

Sabretooth chuckled. I shot him a confused look. He looked at the clock on the desk. Suddenly another sharp pain fired through my body. I bent over in pain. I was trying to find someway to ease the pain when it ended. I glanced up at Sabretooth, practically begging him for an answer. He just stood up and went to the door.

"Come on," he ordered gruffly. "It's time for you to go to your new home."

"New home?" I stood up and went over to him.

Sabretooth nodded, "We moved you all into a bigger, more secure room. It's set right in the middle of the building."

He grabbed my bound wrists and pulled me into the hallway. Then he forced me to move along the halls. I just let him lead me toward the center of the building. Part way there, we met up with Magneto. We continued to walk, all three of us.

"He's on twenty minute intervals," Sabretooth reported. "He's standing them decently."

Magneto nodded. I stayed quiet as they talked about me. I didn't understand much of what they were saying, but I discreetly listened. They spoke of twenty minutes and pain. Finally we stopped. We were outside of a large metal door. I hoped that Alex had made it back all right. Sabretooth grabbed the large handle. He opened the door and Magneto pushed me through the narrow opening. I was in a large room.

Suddenly something crashed into my stomach and chest. I looked down to see Alex's blond head. I smiled and put my wrists over his head so that my arms were around his shoulders. I held him against my chest for a while. Alex had his arms around my waist. I didn't want this moment to end or to let him go ever again.

"I was so worried," Alex stated. "After Magneto finally started talking about you, he lied. He said you definitely had a concussion and possibly some brain damage. He said that you might not survive your stay here." I could hear the pain in his voice. "I just got back here and you were gone."

I gave his shoulders a slight squeeze. "I'm fine, Alex. I swear. They were testing us to see how we'd function separately."

Logan came up to us, "I'm sorry about the other night. If I could go back..." He let the sentence hang.

I looked up at him and nodded. "I know," I told him, "but it's too late for that. Right now do you think you can slice this cord?" I raised my bound wrists back over Alex's head.

"Sure thing, kid," Logan replied. He extracted one set of his claws and began to saw away at the plastic. It parted rather easily. As soon as I was free, Alex gave me another hug.

I smiled, "Are you ever going to let go of me?"

Alex laughed and eased up. I looked around the room for the first time. Unlike the other room, this one had a set of bunk beds and a couch, which Jean and Rogue were on. There was also a video camera in each corner at the ceiling. They were in clear protective bubbles.

"I see we're the entertainment," I stated as I went over to the couch. I sat down next to Jean. She wrapped her arms around my chest.

Logan nodded, "That bubble is unbreakable. Believe me, I've tried. They can watch us anywhere and at all times."

Something Sabretooth had said jarred my memory, "They were all ready listening in on us in the other room."

"What?" Rogue exclaimed.

I nodded, "Sabretooth told me that he could smell fear too. No one was in the room when we were talking about that. He had to have been eavesdropping on us."

I looked around the room again. This time I was looking at the number of doors. There were two of them. I came in through one and figured the other one was a bathroom. I glanced at Logan. He had Rogue on his lap. Logan held her against him rather tightly. Rogue was like a sister to me too. Logan was just a it more overprotective... and older. Alex squeezed in between the edge of the couch and me. I laughed and scooted over for him.

Suddenly the door opened. Pietro came in with a large cheese pizza. Lance followed with six bottles of cola. They set them down by the door and left. As the door was shutting, none of us moved. It was as if we were accepting our defeat. Alex jumped up and ran over to the food.

I laughed, "Are you hungry, Alex?"

"Aren't I always?" he shot back. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Take it out to the middle," Logan reported. He stood up and actually carried Rogue out to the middle. I rose as well. Jean let go of me to join Alex. We all sat in a circle on the floor. I was so hungry, but I still had to force the pizza down. As we ate, we talked.

"Did they hurt you?" Jean asked, referring to my latest adventure.

I shook my head, "No more than I all ready was. I was just reassurance that none of you would try to escape."

Logan tried unsuccessfully to smother a laugh. Rogue elbowed him in the ribs. "We wouldn't have left you, Scott."

I nodded absently. Logan probably wanted to try to escape, but Rogue stopped him. I sighed and took another piece of pizza. Then I remembered what I wanted to ask Alex earlier.

"Alex, does your watch have a timer?" I asked him. He nodded. "When I tell you, will you set it for nineteen minutes?"

"Sure," Alex replied, "if you tell me what's going on."

"I'm not exactly sure what's going on," I admitted, "but something they put in me causes pain every twenty minutes exactly. It feels like my entire nervous system is on fire for one solid minute. They want to test my durability."

I glanced up at one of the cameras before glancing at Jean. She smiled and took a sip of her pop. I reached out and took her free hand. She laced her fingers into mine. I gave her hand a little squeeze of reassurance.

"You're awfully quiet," I whispered. Jean locked eyes with me and shrugged.

I shot Alex a look, "Start it." Alex started the timer on his watch as pain elevated through my body. I glared at one of the cameras before bending over in pain. It passed soon, but not as soon as I'd hoped.

"One minute exactly," Alex told me when I sat back up. Jean squeezed my hand this time.

I smiled and the door opened. Sabretooth came in. Logan jumped up and growled. Sabretooth stayed in the doorway as Logan spoke.

"What did you do to him?" Logan demanded. I hadn't expected that to come from him.

Sabretooth smirked, "You don't really care about a high school kid, do you?" I wondered whether he meant Rogue or me. It didn't really matter though. That wasn't the reason he had come in here. It couldn't be.

"What do you want?" I asked, unsuccessfully covering my bluntness.

"Watch it, kid," Sabretooth warned me. "I came to tell you that you'll all be going back to the Institute tomorrow morning."

Then he left us to allow the confusion to settle in a bit. I, for one, was very confused. Why were we going back? Were Ororo and the Professor all ready here? Were we all going to go back together? I tried to ease my mind and just relax.

Every twenty minutes the explosive pain returned. We managed to rig Alex's watch though. The alarm went off one minute before the pain began. I stayed near Alex, because he was really scared. It was nothing like the Alex I knew. He was always so independent and fearless, but now he wouldn't even be half a room away from me. His discomfort only made me madder at our captors.

That night I lay awake as I always did. Logan and Rouge lay on the top bunk together. Logan had his arms around Rogue's covered body. I had been surprised when they fell asleep so early. Jean was asleep on the bottom bunk. She looked so peaceful. I was sitting on the couch with Alex. He had refused to leave my side, so here we were. I sat sideways, so my back was against the arm of the couch. Alex sat between my legs with his head resting on my chest. The lights were off.

"Scott?"

"I'm still here, Alex."

"Do you have any idea what's going on? What are they going to do to us?" Alex's voice was hushed, but I still glanced half-consciously at one of the cameras.

I wrapped my arms around my brother's torso and held him close. "I'm not sure. I think they're going to take us back to the Institute and try to force us to get the other to join the Brotherhood, but you know that I'll-"

Suddenly the door opened. Mystique came in and walked up to Alex and me. My grip on Alex tightened ever so slightly. We both looked up at her as she came over to us. She said nothing, but pushed a stray hair off Alex's forehead. He recoiled at the touch. Mystique looked at me. I could feel my anger boiling and wondered if Mystique knew it was there. She pushed back my brown hair to look at the bruise on my temple. I decided to let her.

"You don't get any drugs tonight," Mystique told us. "We're going to drug you all for the ride back tomorrow. You can stay awake all night if you wish." She turned around. "Just be ready to go early." She walked out the door and locked it rather loudly.

We sat in silence for a while. I held Alex against me as he lay across my chest. Finally I broke the silence.

"You can get some sleep," I told him. "I'll be right here when you wake up. I promise."

Alex sighed, "I don't think I can."

I nodded, "It's all right. I don't think I can either."

Suddenly Alex's watch beeped. I sighed and Alex looked straight up at me. I wondered how long it was going to be before these pains stopped completely. I waited anxiously for the minute to end, so the pain could come and go. I tensed, but the pain didn't come. Confusion settled in.

"Scott?"

"It doesn't hurt. Nothing's happening," I glanced up at one of the cameras.

Alex glanced at his watch. "They must've shut it off somehow. Did Mystique do anything unusual a moment ago?"

I thought for a moment, "Not that I can think of, but I don't doubt it. She probably triggered something that shut it off."

Alex and I stayed there all night. We talked some; we sat in silence a while. I felt a special connection with my little brother. He stayed against me for comfort. I didn't mind. I figured that I wasn't going to get any sleep, so I might as well make Alex feel safe. He sat awake until about four AM when he finally fell asleep. I didn't fall asleep that night. I held Alex the entire night until I heard the door open and Magneto came in the next morning.

**_TBC_**


	9. Return

**Author's Note:** Kurt's dialogue is written straight and non-dialectic. 

**Chapter 9: Return**

Magneto flipped the lights on. Everyone else woke up instantly. They sat up and rubbed their eyes. I swung my legs over the edge of the couch, so I could face him. Logan and Rogue climbed off the top bunk. Jean came over to the couch.

"Are you ready to go back?" he asked. "I want you single file with Wolverine in the front. Then I'll take you to the door. Okay, let's go."

Logan moved toward the door. Rogue stayed directly behind him. The rest of us filed in behind them. I took the position in the back. Magneto led us toward the door through a long maze of hallways. Every once in a while, Alex would turn around and make sure I was still there. When we saw the door, we stopped as ordered. Alex moved toward me for protection.

"All right, I want Jean to carry Rogue piggyback style. Cyclops is going to carry Havoc in his arms," Magneto stated. He was trying to make sure that we couldn't escape once we were outside. Rogue climbed onto Jean's back. I sighed and carefully picked up my brother. He weighed more than I remembered. Magneto used his powers to lift Logan into the air, so he couldn't run. Then we were all led outside. A moving van was sitting outside. Mystique and the Brotherhood boys stood at the open door to the back of it. We were quickly herded in. Mystique followed us in, while Fred and Pietro watched the sliding door. Magneto went back inside the building.

"This won't hurt a bit," Mystique told us as she pulled out a bottle and a syringe. "You're first, Cyke."

"No," I stated. "I'm last."

She shrugged and moved on. One by one, she injected the other four captives with the sedatives. Then she gave me a look of pity and shook the empty bottle to show that she was out of the drug.

Realization hit me. She wanted me to volunteer to be last, so I'd stay awake. "Fuck you," I spat.

She smiled a sugary smile, "Tell me when and where." Mystique climbed out the back and locked the door. We were trapped in the back of the moving van. The engine started and we moved off toward the Institute.

The sedative started to take its toll on the others. In no time at all, the there all out cold. Right before Alex blacked out, he looked up at me.

"It's okay, Alex," I told him. "Just give in to it. I'll be right here when you wake up. I promise."

"Thanks, Scott," he whispered. He shut his eyes and fell into an induced sleep.

I glanced around the large van. Everyone was sound asleep, but me. It was a usual sight by now. I decided to lie down and to rest some. I knew I wouldn't get any sleep, but I could at least try to get my body ready for what was to come. I closed my eyes and just concentrated on relaxing every part of my body. Every time, I neared sleep, the van would hit a bump or tale a sharp turn to wake me back up. I couldn't tell whether they were watching me or it was just a coincidence.

After a while, I gave up. I climbed to my feet and carefully moved over to Jean. I sat down and put her beautiful head in my lap. Then I brushed her hair out of her face and stroked her forehead and hair. She was so beautiful and looked so peaceful. I sighed aloud and kissed her cheek.

Finally the van stopped. I tensed and moved toward the door. It opened just enough for a person to get through. Mystique stuck her head through and motioned for me to come over to her. I did so. She practically pulled me out of the back. Lance shut the door and Fred locked it. I looked around the area. We were parked close to the main gate of the Institute. I looked around for any sign of life. All I saw was Pietro turning off the security system. I sighed and Mystique pulled me to the gate.

"It's show time," she told me. Suddenly Mystique morphed into Alex. Pietro gave a signal and Fred opened the gate. Mystique pulled me into the yard and we ran toward the front door, without any interruptions.

"How do you plan on getting inside?" I asked.

"You'll see," she replied as we ran up to the door. Mystique literally threw me into the door. I fell to the ground in pain. She pounded on the door and called for help. Then she collapsed on top of me, covering my mouth with one hand.

"Alex," a voice came from inside.

"Scott," another one called. I heard the door open and saw Kurt, in his blue form, and Kitty.

I struggled to move. I had to tell them it was a trap. I moved the slightest bit, but Mystique had me firmly pinned to the ground. I struggled, but it was useless. Kurt and Kitty pulled us inside the Institute. Mystique kept my mouth covered until after she stood up and signaled the boys. She moved her hand away and as Pietro was running up, changed back into her true form. The two unsuspecting mutants gasped, while Mystique opened the door for her minions. Pietro came straight up to me and jerked me to my feet. He twisted my arms behind my back. I stayed quiet and Kurt and Kitty just stared at us.

Mystique smiled as Fred, Lance, and Todd came into the building. I jerked against Pietro's grip, but it didn't do any good. Mystique came up to me and slid her index finger down my right cheek. "You know, you are a very talented actor."

Anger welled up inside of me. I pulled roughly, but Pietro had my arms bent straight upward, so I all movement was murder on my shoulders. Mystique smirked and turned to the little ones. I looked at Kurt's blue form and wished I had some way of communicating with him.

"Round everyone up," Mystique ordered them. "Tell them to go to the auditorium."

Kurt grabbed Kitty's arm and teleported them both out of the entrance hall. Mystique turned toward the auditorium and we all went there. Pietro pushed me up on the stage. We stood near the back as Mystique took position behind the podium. Suddenly the door opened and the students slowly came in. They all noticed me and quickly took their seats. I sighed and looked at all of the innocent mutants in front of me. The first thing I noticed was that Ororo and the professor weren't there.

Pietro seemed to know what I was thinking. "Magneto and Sabretooth are waiting for them to arrive at the warehouse."

I felt my blood run cold. I glanced into the audience to try to get someone's attention. Everyone I looked at was watching Mystique. I watched her to see if she was going to address the crowd of confused and anxious mutants that stood before her.

"Good morning," she stated, "as you can probably tell, this building is now under new management. We have taken over and so I'll tell you now, this can be an easy job or people can get hurt. Either way you will all be under our control very soon."

A murmur shot through the crowd. I could feel the anger coming from me. I knew everyone else could see it, too. Mystique began to talk again:

"We're going to leave you alone for now. Don't even try to leave this room. We'll stop in soon to tell you to go to bed."

With that, she headed to the door. The three Brotherhood boys followed her. Pietro let go of me and ran out the door. I collapsed and the door locked. People began to talk. I struggled to climb to my feet. Kurt teleported to my side and helped me up. I nodded and walked up to the podium.

I waited for everyone to quiet down. Most of them did when they saw me. The others soon followed the others.

"Are we going to let them take us over?" I asked. "Not without a fight, am I right? Come on up here and we'll figure something out." I was improvising, but it would have to do. Everyone came up to the stage. I convinced them to put their anger aside and sit in a circle. I sat between Rahne and Ray. I looked around at the angry and concerned faces.

Finally I broke the silence, "Jean, Alex, Rogue, and Logan are in the back of a moving van parked out front." I was speaking directly to Kurt. "They are probably still out cold. I need you to get them to the infirmary."

Kurt nodded, "Sure." Then he was gone. I sighed.

I locked eyes with Amara. She was plainly angry. I signaled for her to calm down. She gave me a sheepish smile.

"What are we going to do?" Bobby asked.

"We're going to wait for Kurt to come back. Then we'll figure out how to overpower them."

Suddenly Kurt came back. The ever-present smell of sulfur hung in the air for a moment. Kurt landed in the middle of the circle. He spun around until he was facing me. I looked at him expectantly. He just nodded and took a seat.

"All right, now they have nothing to hold against us, so we can strike," I spoke. "Evan, I want you to watch the door." I saw his reluctance. "You're the only one that can stop Pietro if he comes in." He got up. I smiled to myself. I complimented him, so he did it. "Let Mystique in if we're still planning."

He nodded and took a seat by the door.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do. We'll sneak out in these three groups. Kurt, Rahne, and Amara. Kitty, Jamie, Roberto, and Ray. Evan, Jubilee, Sam, and Bobby. Then we'll-"

"What about you?" Roberto asked. "You can't go off on your own."

"Have any of you seen Mr. McCoy lately?"

"Ja," Kurt replied. "He's in the infirmary checking on the others. We purposefully left him there during the round-up."

I smiled, "I think I need to pay him a visit."

"Are you okay?" Rahne asked.

I nodded, but I was lying. My leg was killing me. I was utterly exhausted. My head was throbbing with pain.

"If you say so..." Roberto trailed off.

I looked at him and said, "I'm fine. Now we have three groups and five opponents. I'm hoping to lure Mystique away, so you guys can take the other four. It should be easy enough with our home field advantage."

"Incoming," Evan called as he positioned himself. He popped a spike halfway out of each arm.

The door opened and in walked Todd. Evan launched the two spikes and successfully pinned him to the wall. The shoulders of his shirt held him in place. Kurt smiled and teleported to his side. He then tied a piece of cloth over Todd's mouth.

"All right," I told the group, "Mystique will know something's up when Todd doesn't return. We have to act now. I'll lure Mystique away. Each group should take one enemy after that. Kurt, I need you to teleport your group out of here. Kitty, you'll have to take yours to the top of this room and go through the wall. Now, the third group, Evan, you'll have to use the door. Be careful, okay?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good," I replied. "Evan, you may need to add a few spikes to hold him in place." Evan shot off a few more spikes to completely pin Todd. He struggled, but was stuck to the wall.

"All right, team, let's do this."

I got up a bit wobbly. I went to the door and took a deep breath. Then I opened the door. I stuck my head out and called: "Mystique? Mystique!" I paused to see if she would actually come.

She came out of the side hallway. She didn't look the least bit happy to see me. I stepped out of the door and shut it behind me. She looked at me suspiciously and poised herself for an attack. I held up my hands in surrender.

"Please," I begged, "I don't want a fight. I just-" I stopped talking just long enough to cry out in pain and clutch at my injured leg. Mystique just looked at me with a bored interest.

I sighed silently. I looked like she didn't quite trust me. That meant I'd have to do something drastic. I let myself pitch forward. I collapsed on the floor. That got her attention! Drowsiness set in more than I'd expected and I almost blacked out. I fought it off as Mystique crouched next to me. She rolled me over to my back; I looked up at her. Pain started to consume my body until I couldn't control it. I let a moan escape my lips.

"Cyclops," she breathed. "Are you going to be okay?"

I was breathing heavily and shaking violently all over. I groaned and grabbed at the back of my head. Mystique glanced around quickly. She picked me up in her arms. That move surprised me, but I didn't resist. She carried me down one of the halls to an unused bedroom at the end. Mystique set me on the bare sheet.

"Calm down," Mystique said. "Just breathe."

I was still shaking a lot. My body was completely overloading. The pain was unbearable. I cried out in pure and bitter agony.

Mystique glanced around again before speaking, "I'll be right back."

"Mystique," I forced out between gritted teeth. "There aren't any painkillers in the infirmary. Try the basement."

She nodded, "Don't try anything while I'm gone."

I smiled and tried to stop shaking, "Even if I wanted to, I don't think I'm physically able to."

She smirked and left the room. I closed my eyes and moaned in pain. At least I'd sent Mystique to the basement. It'd buy us a little more time and it'd keep her out of the infirmary. I sighed and opened my eyes.

Suddenly Kitty's head poked through the wall, "Cyclops, are you okay?"

I looked up at her, "Yes, Shadowcat, I'm fine. Move your group out and try to take over. Mystique is in the basement, so try to stay clear of the path from here to there. I wouldn't have put you with Multiple if I didn't think you could handle him. It's all up to you guys now."

She nodded and left.

**_TBC_**


	10. Conclusion

**Chapter 10: Conclusion**

I shook in pain and tried to listen for any signs of a struggle. I couldn't hear anything over my heavy breathing and thunderous heartbeat. Finally I gave up and shut my eyes again. I concentrated on allowing my pain to pass out of my body.

Then I heard the door open. I pulled my eyes open to see Mystique. She held a syringe in one hand and a bottle of liquid painkiller in the other. She came up to me and injected the substance into a vein in my arm. I allowed her to do so effortlessly. She pulled the needle out, covered it, and set it on the nightstand. The pain immediately began to subside. I silently thanked the professor for getting fast-acting painkillers.

I looked up at Mystique as my spasms slowed visibly. She sat on the edge of the bed and watched me closely. I gave her a grateful look and she nodded. Mystique reached out and stroked my hair. I didn't like the feeling, but I let her do what she wanted to.

"Mystique?" I asked. My voice was barely above a whisper. "What's going to happen to me? I mean, what do you have planned for me?"

She sighed and looked me in the eyes. "It depends."

"On what?" I asked, fearing the answer.

Mystique ran a blue finger down the side of my face. "If you decide to be a rebellious leader or an obedient follower. Think of your brother's safety before you make your decision."

Then she stood up and headed to the door. I felt myself begin to panic. I was still in too much pain to move, so I had to come up with something to say to get her to stop. A moan of pain escaped my lips, unknown to me. Mystique turned to look at me.

Suddenly Kurt appeared above her and fell on top of her. Mystique fell flat on the floor as more X-men ran into the room. They tried to overcome her, but I wouldn't know whether they had succeeded or not until later. I passed out in pain.

"'I'll be right there when you wake up' he promises," a voice scoffed in my ringing head.

"Hi, Alex," I forced the words out. I opened my eyes to see him standing right next to me.

"Oh, Scott," Jean said from my other side. "You're okay."

I smiled and looked around the room. I was in the infirmary. Alex and Jean stood over me. I was hooked up to a ton of machines. I moaned and looked up at my loved ones' concerned faces.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked.

Jean nodded, "We're fine, Scott. Everyone is. We were all just really worried about you."

"Even Logan?" I pressed with a smile.

Alex laughed, "Yes, especially Logan. He's still amazed at what you did for us all."

"Does that mean we succeeded?" I asked, suddenly excited.

Jean touched the side of my face, "Yes, baby. Because of your leadership, we've retaken the Institute. They've escaped, but we're free from their grasp."

That's when Hank entered in his white lab coat. "Hello, Scott. How are you feeling today?"

"I'm... okay now. Everything is exploding with pain, but I'm okay."

Alex and Jean left the room, so Hank could run a few more tests. He checked all of my injuries to see how they were healing. I was going to be all better in a few days or so. Now there was just one more question:

"Where's the professor?" I asked.

Hank hesitated for a few moments, "Well... Scott, you see... we don't know."

**THE END**

**Author's Note:** First of all, yes, I am planning a sequel, but knowing me as well as I do, it'll probably take a long time for me to get it started. Please review.


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